Locking device



Dec. 20, 1938. G, P H O 2,140,917

LOCKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 20, 1938. G. P. MAIL-[00D Nov". 19, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Egg I: in

Patented Dec. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING DEVICE George Phillips Mahood, Bluefield, W. Va., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 19, 1936, Serial No. 111,565

11 Claims. (Cl. 238-338) My invention relates to improvements in lock- Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of ing devices and more particularly to locking de- Fig. 1; vices for rail fastening clips. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the rotatable clips In some types of railway track construction, in their initial engagement with the rail and my particularly those of the light character used in locking device in engagement with the clips; "5 mines and construction work, it is desirable to Fig. 4 is a plan view showing my device in its have the rails readily attachable and detachable final or looking position; and with respect to the ties, while at the same time Fig. 5 is a view in elevation illustrating a modiit is desirable to have the rails firmly secured fied form of my invention. 1o to the ties at all times when they are in use. To Referring to the drawings, l0 designates a methis end it has been the practice to employ ties tallic tie for supporting a rail II and is provided having rotatable clips to engage one side of the with clips I2 and I3 for fastening the rail to the rail and a fixed clip to engage the other side of tie. The tie I0 is provided with a longitudinal the rail so that a rail may be readily attached groove I4 in its upper surface and the clip I2 is to the ties by driving the rotatable clips into connected to the tie in bridging relation with the i5 engagement with the rail, or detached from the groove I4 by suitable fasteners I5. The clips ties by disengagement of the clips from the rail. I3 are mounted on opposite sides of the groove .These rotatable clips are generally fastened to the I4 and are pivotally connected to the tie III by ties by rivets in such a manner so thatwhen the means of suitable fasteners I'I, so that they are ties are first installed with a rail the clips fricrotatable into and out of engagement with the 20 tionally engage the tie and therefore they are not rail I I. Mounted in the groove I4 and extending easily jarred loose due to trafiic passing over the beneath the clip I2 is one of my novel locking rail when the clips are in their assembled reladevices or keys I8. The device l8, as shown in tion with the rail. However, after the ties have Figs. 1 to 4, comprises an elongated body or un- 26 been used several times the rotatable clip-s beder rail portion I9, which terminates at one end come loose so that they rotate easily on the tie in an upwardly and inwardly bent hook portion and are easily jarred loose from their assembled 20 and at the other end in an upturned toe porposition with the rail due to traffic passing theretion 2 I, which is substantially T-shaped in cross over. It is therefore the main object of my insection and comprises the vertical web 22 and the 80 vention to obviate this condition by providing a flanges 23 and 24. Referring to Fig. 4 wherein I locking device which engages the rotatable clips show the device I8 in its assembled relation with to retain them against rotation when they are in the track structure, after the rotatable clips I3 their assembled relation with the rail even though have been rotated. into engagement with the rail the clips are easily rotated. I I and the device I8 has been driven to its locked Another object of my invention is to provide position, the toe portion 2| is in engagement with :35 a locking device or key for locking the movable the clips I3 beyond their pivoted point provided clips against rotation at all times when they are by the fastening means I1 and effectively prevents in their assembled condition with the rails. the rotation of the clips towards the position A further object of my invention is to provide shown in Fig. 3, and the hook portion 20 is in a locking device or key for locking the rail clips clamping engagement with the clip I2 and there- 40 against displacement with means to retain the fore the device IB is efiectively retained in its lockdevice in its assembled relation with the tie at ing position. A recess 25 may be provided in the all times so that it will notbecome misplaced or clip l2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to receive the lost when the ties are detached from the track end of the hook portion 20 to assist in retaining structure. the device I8 in its locking position where the 45 A still further object of my invention is to protrack structure is to be subjected to excessive vivide the locking device with means to retain the bration, but the clamping action of the hook porlocking device in its locked relation with the clips tion 20 with the clip I2 is sufficient in ordinary when the clips are in their assembled relation with cases to retain the device in its locking position so the rail. as shown in Fig. 4. 7

The novel features of my invention will be more In Fig. 5 I show a modified locking device 29, fully understood from the following description which is preferably made of spring steel and is and claims taken with the drawings in which: provided with a slightly arched body portion Fig. l is a top plan view of a portion of a track 30, a hook portion 3| and a toe portion 32. The

5 structure embodying my novel device; hook portion 3| is similar to the hook portion 285 20 of the locking device l8 but the toe portion 32 is provided with a round outer portion 33. The arched portion 30 is so formed that its highest point is forced down beneath the fixed clip l2 when the locking device is in the position similar to that shown in-Fig. 1, so that it will not interfere with the installation of the rail H with the tie l0. After the rotatable clips I3 have been assembled with the rail and the locking device 29 has been forced into locking engagement with the clips, the body portion 3|] of the device tends to resume its original bowed condition and elfectively grips the under surface of the base of the rail and the bottom of the groove and together with the hook portion 3i effectively retains the locking device in its assembled condition under the most severe conditions.

My novel locking devices l8 and 29 are assembled with the tie ID by placing either the device 18 or 29 in the groove M of the tie it) and then mounting the clip l2 thereon and fastening it to the tie by suitable means such as the fasteners 25. portion prevent the device from becoming sepa rated from the tie after the clip l2 has been placed thereon andtherefore after the locking device is assembled with the tie there is no danger of it becoming misplaced or lost even when the tie is not in use and therefore the locking device is always ready'for use when the tie is assembled with a rail.

In assembling the rail II with the tielli, the rail is placed on the tie with one fiange of the rail base adjacent the fixed clip I2, the rotatable clips 13 and the locking device being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. That is, with the flanges 23 and 24 engaging the clips [3, if the device 18 is used, and the web 22 passing between the clips 53. rotated by any suitablemeans such as the blow from a track hammer onto the opposite flange of the rail base to the position shown in Fig. 4. This action of the rotatable clips forces the rail base flange under the fixed clip 52, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The clips l3 may be initially rotated by means of the locking device to the posi tion shown in Fig. 3 by striking .the'hook portion of the locking device with any suitable means such as a track hammer. This will also tend to drive the clip l2 over the flange of the rail, whereas, if the rotatable clips are initially driven with a hammer the force transmitted to the tie will tend todrive the fixed clip i2 away from the rail. After the rotatable clips have been rotated to their assembled position, the locking device it or 25 whichever is used, is then driven to the position shown in Fig. 4 by any suitable means. This forces the toe portion of the locking device between the clips 13 so that the clips are prevented from rotating outwardly toward the position shown in Fig. 3. The driving of the locking device into engagement with the rotatable clips is at the same time causes the hook portion of the locking device to be forced into clamping engagement with the fixed clip I2, and, if a recess or depression is provided in the clip l2, the end of the hook portion enters said The hook portion and the toe The rotatable clips l3 are then I of which are adapted ing means for the clips when they are in assembled relation with the rail.

While I have shown my invention in a plurality of forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible to various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and, I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by'the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A locking device, a clip rotatably mounted on a tie independently of the locking device and retained by said locking device in its assembled position with a rail of a track structure, said device comprising an elongated body portion, a toe portion integral with one end of the body portion adapted to engage the rotatable clip and a hook portion integral with the other end of the body portion adapted to engage a member of the track structure to retain said locking device in its assembled condition with the clip.

2. A locking device, a clip rotatably mounted on a tie independently of the locking device and retained by said locking device in its assembled position with the structure to. which it is applied,

said device comprising an elongated body portion, adapted to extend beneath a member of said structure, a toe portion integral with one end of the body portion adapted to engage the rotatable clipand a hook portion integral with the other end of the body portion adapted to engage a member of the structure to retain said device in its assembled condition with the clip.

3. A locking device for retaining a pair of rotatable clips in assembled position with a structure to which they are applied, said device cornprising an elongated body portion, adapted to extend beneath a member of said structure, a hook portion extending from one end of the body portion and a toe portion extending from the other end of the body portion adapted to engage and rotate the rotatable clips, said toe portion comprising a T-shaped portion having its web adapted to pass between the rotatable clips, and its flanges adapted to engage the rotatable clips to initially rotate said clips upon the movement of the locking device towards its assembled position, and to retain said clips against rotation when the locking device is in its assembled position with the structure.

4. A locking device for clips which are rotatably mounted on a tie independently of the locking device, said locking device comprising a body portion, a hook portion integral with one end of said body portion and a toe portion integral with the other end of said body portion, said toe portion comprising a T-shaped portion the flanges to lcckingly engage the rotatable clips. 7

5. A locking device for retaining a rotatable clip in its assembled position with a rail of a track structure, said device comprising an elcngated body having a bowed portion, a toe portion integral with one end of the body adapted to engage the rotatable clip and a resilient hook portion integral with the other end of the body adapted to engage a member of the track structure in clamping engagement therewith to retain said locking device in its assembled condition.

6LIn combination with a metallic tiehaving a groove in the upper surface of the tie; rail clamping means mounted on said tie, said means comprising a movable clip pivotally mounted on said tie on one side of said groove and locking means slidably mounted in the groove of said tie adapted to engage the clip to retain said clip against rotation.

7. In combination with a metallic tie having a groove therein, rail clamping means mounted on said tie, said means comprising a stationary clip bridging said groove and a pair of rotatable clips in spaced relation to said stationary clip and mounted on opposite sides of said groove and a locking device slidably mounted in the groove beneath the stationary clip and adapted to engage the rotatable clips to retain said clips against rotation.

8. A metallic tie having a groove in its upper surface, rail clamping means mounted on said tie, said means comprising a clip adapted to engage one side of a rail base flange and a pair of rotatable clips adapted to engage the other side of the base flange of the rail, and a locking device slidably mounted in the groove of the tie for locking the rotatable clips in engagement with the rail.

9. A metallic tie having a groove in its upper surface, rail clamping means mounted on said tie in bridging relation to said groove and having a depression in its upper surface, a pair of rotatable clips mounted on said tie in spaced relation to said clamping means, a fastening device for said rotatable clips, said device comprising a body portion slidably mounted beneath said clamping device, a toe portion adapted to engage said rotatable clips and a hook portion adapted to be brought into clamping action with said clamping means and to enter said depression to retain the fastening device in its assembled position when the clamping device and the rotatable clips are in assembled relation with a rail placed on the aforementioned tie.

10. A metallic tie having a longitudinal groove in its upper surface, a flxed clip mounted on said tie in bridging relation to said groove, and adapted to engage one flange of a rail, a rotatable clip mounted on said tie to one sided the groove adapted to engage the other flange of a rail, and a locking device for said rotatable clip slidably mounted in said groove and slidable longitudinally of said groove and having means to cooperate with said fixed clip to retain the looking device in its assembled condition.

11. A locking device for clips rotatably mounted on a tie independently of said locking device, said device comprising a body portion, a hook portion integral with one end of the body portion and an upturned toe portion integral with the other end of the body portion adapted to lockingly engage the rotatable clips and retain them in their assembled position.

GEORGE PHILLIPS MAHOOD. 

